Book Club- The Berry Pickers

 It was my turn to be in charge of our online bookclub this month.  I chose The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters.  Though none of them would say it, I could tell that Ken and none of our daughters liked the book much.  It was really sad.  I appreciated the fine writing and how it made me think.  It did give us some deep and interesting things to discuss.  I always love their insights.

But we still had a fun book club discussion and chat. Our next book club will be general conference talks.  We will each choose one and discuss it.

Back in the Saddle Again

 I have served as the Primary pianist for nearly two years.  It has been fun.  It's been a challenge for me as I worked hard to learn the songs.  

Recently though, I was called to be the choir director.  In my lifetime I have served there many years.  I really should try to count it up.  I'm sure it's over twenty. Maybe even thirty years. I substituted there for four months while our director recovered from a very bad bout with COVID in 2024, but before that it had been a long time since I had that calling.

For most of those over 20 years, I have served with Marsha Burdick as the accompanist.  She is fabulous and a music lover like me.  We have been friends for many years.  Our husbands were business partners at Hinton-Burdick CPA's.  She and her husband have served four missions together and are planning a fifth.  But not for awhile.  She has been called to be the accompanist.  So I guess we are both back in the saddle.

The released director's husband drove his truck over with boxes of beautifully organized music (most of which I chose when I had the job before.)  

They also donated this cabinet to store it all in.

This may be the only calling in the church that you almost need a spare room in which to store the supplies!

I am busy arranging and planning what songs we will sing for the next few months and writing the Christmas program.  I am grateful I spent the summer preparing for the Keynote Christmas program and had the music and folders all ready when I was given this new calling.  I am feeling a bit overwhelmed but I will get it done.  

I enjoy serving in church music.  I am back in the saddle again!

Duet with a Princess

I had the most vivid dream the other night.  I usually don't even remember my dreams, but this one was so clear and memorable:

We were in a car, touring around London.  I kid you not, Princess Katherine was our driver.  She was so kind and friendly.  She would turn around and talk to us.  Then she started singing "Que Sera Sera"  She had the most beautiful voice.  I joined her and we sang a lovely duet.  In my dream we sang through the whole song in unison until near the end.  I thought, "We should harmonize," and I broke into harmony.  Have you ever heard something in a dream?  I did.  I heard the whole song and our beautiful harmony.  When we finished, we all laughed.  Then I woke up.

Where do dreams come from?  It was so bizarre that I would dream such a detailed story.  Well, what will be will be I guess!

Joy in the Morning

 </Joy in the Morning by Betty Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction Physical book
This is the story of a couple from Brooklyn, New York in 1927 and their first year of marriage. The old-fashioned writing style helps the reader immerse in that time period and setting. Once I got used to the setting and style I enjoyed it. It is a bit shocking at first. This is the same author that wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.


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Back to School

 Our grandchildren are back to school.  Here are their first day photos.

Audrey, Lisi, and Samuel waiting for the bus

Samuel, Audrey, and Lisi (Kristen's)

Jake (Kristen's) Sophomore

Audrey(Kristen's) 6th grade

Lisi (Kristen's) 1st grade

Gabbi(Michelle's oldest) started her junior year.

Lily (Shonna's) started her freshman year in high school.

Gabe (Shonna's) started 4th grade

Hannah (Shonna's) started 6th grade

Jaron (Michelle's) started 8th grate

William (Michelle's youngest) started 3rd grade

Kenny (Michelle's) started 5th grade

Caleb (Shonna's) started his Sophomore year.

Brielle (Kristen's) started her sophomore year at BYU last week.   This is her at the BYU game.   

Nathan will leave on his mission next week.  That will be a whole different kind of education!

Happy school year, precious grandchildren!

The Thursday Murder Club

 I had read the book and wanted to watch the movie on Netflix.  It was well done.  I actually think I liked it better than the book because the characters were so well-cast.  

Contention

 I read and study President Nelson's April 2025 talk every couple of weeks.  This week I was looking up all the footnotes and found this gem of a statement by President Nelson.

"Choosing to contend with others is choosing to live without the guidance of the Holy Ghost."

Wow!  That is powerful.  I have often pondered what it is I want most for myself and for my posterity.  I decided that the thing I want most is to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost for myself and for them.  Then I read this statement and realized how important it is to avoid contention.

I shared this quote with my family via our group text.  I got back some very though-provoking responses.  One from Blake was especially enlightening.  He suggested that there is a big difference between contention and conflict.  Conflict is a normal part of life between two people.  We have differences of opinion.  But contention comes from the heart, and we need help from God to rid ourselves of it.  He said a lot of other powerful things on this subject.  

We need to eliminate contention from our lives.

Sipsworth

 

Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Modern Fiction Audiobook
What? An old lady who is friends with a mouse? It sounds like a book I would not want to read but it ended up being a delightful book about so much more. The audiobook was very well done.


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J Dawg's Special Sauce

 We recently have had a J Dawgs open near our home.  We love their special sauce and put it on a lot of things besides hot dogs. It has become a staple condiment in our fridge.

The story behind special sauce is a good one!

“The sauce has been around even longer than J. Dawgs has,” Edwards says. “My grandma clipped a recipe out of the newspaper in the 1940s while my grandpa was away and learning to fly in the United States Army Air Corps. She fiddled with it, adjusted it to her tastes, and it became a family favorite.”

Canning Tomatoes

 We purchased some tomatoes to finish our tomato canning for the year.

Salsa

We added 11 pints of salsa to the 7 we did before, totaling 18 pints.

And we did 12 quarts of Pasta Sauce

Canning is a lot of work, but is so satisfying.

The Kitchen Front

 

The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Historical Fiction Audiobook
Setting: WWII England.
I enjoyed this book about a cooking competition during wartime rations, but about so much more. It is a story of coming together and friendship and good winning over evil. 3 ½ stars from me.


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Aunt Gary Passes Away

 My Aunt Gary recently passed away.  She was 94 years old and had been in poor health for a couple of years. She was living in a care center for the last several years.  She was married to my dad's brother Ron.

Gary Freeman Gabrielsen, age 94, passed away on Friday July 25, 2025, in Draper, Utah. She was the first of 9 children born to Ed and Beth Freeman in Idaho Falls, ID on Jan 21, 1931. Gary enjoyed a happy childhood growing up in Eastern Idaho during the Great Depression.

She graduated from Blackfoot High School and went on to attend Utah State, where she met and married Ronald Joseph Gabrielsen. They were sealed in the Logan Temple on August 11, 1950. Together they raised 5 children. They lived in Pocatello, Idaho and then settled in Boise in 1962. Gary returned to school to complete her bachelor’s degree and began a long and meaningful teaching career at South Junior High, where she taught Home Economics and English from 1966 to 1991.

After Ron’s passing, Gary moved to Salt Lake in 2012 to be closer to her family.

Gary had a passion for learning, creating and teaching. She loved to read, write, sew, quilt, scrapbook, and bake bread. She tackled every project with enthusiasm and energy. Even while sitting with Ron as he watched TV, she would find a project to work on. She was a devoted mother and grandmother always cheering on her children and grandchildren. Family gatherings were important to her, and she always made them special. She was an extraordinary teacher both in the classroom and at church, known for her ability to connect with teenagers and share valuable life skills.

Gary was preceded in death by her husband, Ron, one grandchild, and six of her siblings. She is survived by her children: R Joseph Gabrielsen, Jr. (Laurie), Randee Gabrielsen, David Gabrielsen (Loriann), Diane Fager (Vance), and Todd Gabrielsen (Liz), and 22 grandchildren.

Although we are saddened by the loss of our dear mother and grandmother, we know we will be together again.

A friends and family gathering will be held on Monday, August 25, 2025, from 2:00–4:00 PM at Larkin Mortuary in Sandy, Utah. Gary will be laid to rest beside her beloved Ron at the Idaho State Veterans Cemetery in Boise, Idaho.

Ken and I drove up and back to SLC on one day (August 25) to be in attendance at the viewing/ family gathering at 2pm. It was so worth it to be there.  I love all of my Gabrielsen cousins and their spouses.

Aunt Gary's children and spouses: 
(Vance) Diane, David (Loriann), (Laurie) Joe, Randee, Todd (Liz) 

Our only living aunt now is our dear, dear Aunt Nedra.  We all absolutely adore her.  Her kids brought her the four hours drive from Oakley, Idaho to be there.  We all took turns sitting by her and visiting with her.  She is my dad's youngest sister.  
Nedra, me, Patty

Nedra and Pam

My cousin Alvin and me (with Roger photo bombing)

Alvin(retired pediatrician), me, Scott (serves as Lt. Governor of Idaho), and Patty

It is hard to describe the joy of being with so many of my cousins.  They are all such good people and inspiring to be near.  It truly was a celebration and reunion.  We were so glad we were there.

The burial was in Boise the next day.  Many other cousins attended the graveside service there and the dinner afterward.

48th Anniversary

 We recently celebrated our 48th anniversary.  Ken gave me two dozen roses (one rose for every two years.) 

 Because of temple assignments, we couldn't celebrate on the actual day of our anniversary, but went out for a special dinner a few evenings later.

We have enjoyed the roses so much.  I am grateful for my husband of 48 years.

Unbroken Path to Redemption

 If you read the book Unbroken, you will want to watch this movie.  It begins after the end of the book.  Even if you haven't read it (like me), this is an excellent movie.  The theme is healing through Jesus Christ.  It is really well done.  We watched it on Amazon Prime.

A Special Weekend in Idaho

 On the weekend of August 15t-17th, we traveled to Idaho Falls to attend the temple as Nathan and Brielle received their endowments in the Rexburg, Idaho temple.  It was such a sweet blessing to be there with them.  These are our two oldest grandchildren.

Nathan and Brielle

Jared, Kristen, Nathan, Brielle, Carolyn Mackrory, Mitch Mackrory, Me and Ken

After a delicious rib dinner prepared by Kristen and Jared, we attended a community children's theater production of Moana.  Audrey and Samuel starred in it.

After the play we came home to find Lisi crocheting.  She was chain stitching and had created quite a long rope.  Carolyn, her other grandma had taught her how.  Samuel went to get his impressive crochet kit to start a chain of his own.

The next morning we went to a 9:00am church, then to Kristen and Jared's for a delicious breakfast before we hit the road for home. You can see Lisi's chain is growing.

Their special breakfast is eggs benedict.  Yum!

This is their beautiful new home.

It was such a privilege to be there.  Thank you Mackrorys.